Houma man finds better life in art

Tuesday

Jul 30, 2013 at 10:57 PM

For Houma artist George Scott, the road to recognition has been a rocky one.

Rachel Warren Staff Writer

For Houma artist George Scott, the road to recognition has been a rocky one.After a 30-year battle with homelessness and poverty, Scott is a member of the Terrebonne Fine Arts Guild with his work displayed in a local restaurant.Scott, originally from South Carolina, said his love of painting started decades ago when he walked into a high school art class.“I looked at what the students there were doing, and it just overwhelmed me,” he said.Now 63, Scott continued to study art in high school but moved to New York City in 1969 to become a mental health counselor.In 1981, as drug use and crime became bigger problems in the city, he decided it was time to move back to the South.Scott first moved to South Carolina, then North Carolina, where he found himself down on his luck.“I stayed at the ‘Y,’ and at some points, I didn’t have any money, so I’d stay in shelters,” he said.From there, Scott moved to Georgia and then to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina hit.“I knew I had some construction skills,” he said. “I saw it as a good opportunity to help the city and get back on firm ground financially.”But that wouldn’t be the end of his struggles.After the contractor he’d been working with left the city, Scott was without a job again and discovered he had diabetes.“I ended up at the New Orleans Mission,” he said. The mission hired Scott as an assistant director of programs and put his construction skills to work.After spending years in the city, Scott said he was itching to move again. In 2011, he agreed to spend the weekend visiting his half brother, Tmoura Gardener, in Houma — a decision that changed his life forever.“I fell in love with Houma,” he said. “I fell in love with all of it.”Scott used the opportunity to reconnect with Gardener, who encouraged him to revisit his love affair with art.“When he came down, painting wasn’t even on his mind,” Gardener said. “But I said, ‘You could be doing something, buddy!’ ”Gardener, a writer, urged Scott to meet with the Terrebonne Fine Arts Guild, of which he is now a member. Terrebonne Parish President Michel Claudet even bought one of his paintings this year.Gardener said he couldn’t be prouder.“I’m all for people doing things with their lives,” Gardener said. “Don’t give up. It’s not over until you’re in the grave.”Scott’s work is on display and for sale at Griffin’s Poboy and Grille at 1015 W. Tunnel Blvd. through today. Next month it will be at Woody’s Restaurant, 210 S. Hollywood Road.